In March 2010 a group of Sango field interpreters joined the ICC to
be trained as simultaneous court interpreters, the first Sango booth
in the world. After qualifying as simultaneous Court interpreters at
the ICC, they went on to interpret between Sango and French in the
case The Prosecutor v. Jean-Pierre Bemba for crimes against humanity
and war crimes committed in the Central African Republic. The trial
started in November 2010 and continued until November 2013, when their
contracts ran out and they had to leave the Court.

As you will know, civil war has once again broken out in the
Central African Republic. One interpreter has sought asylum in Paris,
leaving behind his home in Bangui that was ransacked and his car
stolen. Another made it to Cameroon with his family, but is running
out of funds. Others remain trapped in Bangui. One had the entire
contents of his house ransacked by a mob on Christmas day 2013, only
to have what little was left (roof, doors) stolen or smashed by
another mob on 23 January 2014: "Le sacrifice consenti pendant
plus de dix ans pour construire cette maison s'est envolé en moins de
deux heures". On 20 February he was held up by a group at
gunpoint and had his car stolen. He and his family are now internally
displaced persons who cannot go back to their homes due to the
security situation. Those out of the CAR are out of danger but have
major financial difficulties. Those in the CAR are just glad to
be alive at the moment.

But all is not lost. We can make a real difference. All the
interpreters need funds, whether for essential repairs to a
home before the rainy season renders it completely uninhabitable, or
to pay for transportation out of the CAR to a safe location, or for
basic subsistence until they can find or are allowed to work in the
countries to which they have fled.

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